We cover almost every new Larchmont Blvd. restaurant from the day it announces its pending arrival…but we don’t always get around to such prompt mentions of the many new restaurants that come into other parts of our readership area. In the last few months, though, it’s been impossible to ignore the mini-explosion of new food and coffee options that have popped up in the Wilshire/La Brea area. We visited six of them last week, and definitely want to share the very eclectic selection. Also, don’t be fooled by locations in generic mini-malls or storefronts – there are some interesting new concepts here that are well worth exploring.
Everytable Mid-Wilshire
5164 Wilshire Blvd. – everytable.com – @foreverytable
Everytable Mid-Wilshire is the new local outpost of a larger chain with several locations in New York and California. Open since February, the store is tucked into the fairly non-descript mini-mall at the SE corner of Wilshire and Sycamore, which has been for several years largely hidden by Metro construction fencing. The location, manager Christopher Linares told the Buzz, “is obviously challenging because of the construction. We depend on foot traffic.”
Everytable, which takes a slightly different approach to fast, easy food, bills its healthier-than-most concept as “Real Food On A Mission – ready to eat bowls, salads and wraps for everyone, everywhere.” Offerings include hot plates (chicken pibil, bacon cheeseburger mac, chicken curry, and others provided either cold – to warm up later – or warmed at the store), a variety of meal-sized salads, wraps and sandwiches, beverages, and more, often priced significantly lower than equivalent items at sit-down restaurants. And there are also plant-based, gluten-conscious, sodium-conscious, and under-500-calorie options.
Each morning, Everytable receives a delivery of pre-cooked, pre-packaged meals, which it sells throughout the day. Customers can come in, select their meals and go, or – for faster service – order online and it will be ready to grab when you arrive. Everytable also offers weekly meal delivery subscriptions, if you’d like food delivered directly to your home or office.
Linares says the store opens at 7 a.m., so people can grab ready-to-go food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it will soon stay open as late as 8 p.m. for those who’d prefer to pick up dinner after work. Because the store receives only one delivery a day, though, keep in mind that the earlier you come, the larger the selection will be.
Gastrobot Eats
(Sumac Modern Street Food/Saucy Greens/Soupchu)
5168 Wilshire Blvd. – gastroboteats.com – @gastroboteats
Also located in the mini-mall at the SE corner of Wilshire and Sycamore, Gastrobot Eats is also mostly a takeout establishment, but calls itself a “virtual kitchen,” or “virtual food hall,” from which you can order food made to order from three distinct menus – Sumac Modern Street Food, Saucy Greens, and/or Soupchu. But no matter which menu you order from – any or all – you can pick up everything together at one convenient location, or have it delivered by any of the major delivery services.
Gastrobot general manager Hazer Ozcan, whose family owns both the local Gastrobot and its original store in San Francisco (now four years old), told the Buzz that all the food is made on-site, from scratch. Offerings from Sumac Modern Street Food include Mediterranean and Middle Eastern favorites (falafel, baba ghanoush, etc.), while Saucy Greens has a variety of salad options, and Soupchu features homemade soups and stews.
The Los Angeles Gastrobot Eats has been open since December, and Ozcan, like Linares at Everytable, says it, too, has suffered from the ongoing Metro construction. (Ozcan said he was told when the business moved in that the construction on that part of Wilshire would end in just three months…but it’s now been six months and the K-rail and fences are still there.) But Ozcan said the business has still managed to achieve a five-star rating on Yelp, and “It’s a good thing our food is good, so people keep coming back.”
House of Explore Indonesia (HEXI) Los Angeles
(including Kopioso Coffee & Nonato’s Coffee)
5209 Wilshire Blvd. – hexilosangeles.com – @hexi.losangeles
HEXI Los Angeles isn’t a standard restaurant or coffee shop. Instead, this collection of small Indonesian-themed and Indonesian-owned retail stalls and two different coffee pop-ups is owned Melany Lintuuran and Harry Surjadiredja and occupies one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in our general area – the landmark Deco Building on the north side of Wilshire, between Sycamore and La Brea. The retail stalls, selling clothes, accessories, and more, are tucked into nooks around the perimeter of the airy main-floor space, with comfortable furniture (both for sitting and available for purchase) in the center. There are also tables for sitting, sipping, and/or working in the open mezzanine level above.
Of the two coffee vendors that operate at HEXI on different days, Nonato’s Coffee and Kopioso Coffee, Nonato’s is there two days a week, and Kopioso for four. Among their other options, Kopioso owners Cesar Rodriguez and Meike Cahyadi offer two signature Indonesian and Mexican-style beverages – Kopi Susu, an espresso/condensed milk combo that’s traditional in Indonesia, and a Horchata Latte, which combines espresso with homemade horchata (the traditional rice-based Mexican drink). In addition, there’s also a large list of “fun” lattes (buttered toffee, dark chocolate mocha, carmelita, honey lavender, pistachio, and more), as well as more standard espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos, hot chocolate, and other drinks.
Finally, while many coffee places these days are discouraging people from sitting and lingering, Lintuuran told the Buzz she’s happy when HEXI and Kopioso customers stay a while. Everyone is welcome, she said. “We want the space to be accessible to all communities.”
Her Thai
805 S. La Brea – herthai.com – @herthai.la
You may have noticed our Instagram post last week, announcing the grand opening of Her Thai, the third entry in the growing little restaurant empire owned by Mindy and Vincent Kinne at 8th and La Brea. The Kinnes’ restaurants, including the Met Her at a Bar breakfast/lunch favorite, and the Met Him at a Bar pasta place, have definitely – along with All Season Brewing in the landmark Firestone building across the street, and Roji Bakery, just to the south – brought that section of the street to life. And if Her Thai’s busy first day last week was any indication, this new entry should elevate the strip even further.
Her Thai is being promoted as the baby of Mindy Kinne, who hails from Thailand and used to help her mother prepare and sell street food in Bangkok. The menu features favorites such as egg rolls, noodles, curry bowls, soups, and salads from Mindy’s family recipes, and the cheery, brightly colored restaurant, while small, has both counter seating and tables at a sidewalk patio outside.
Hours are Sunday-Thursday, 12-9:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 12-10 p.m.
Del Mar Ostioneria
831 S. La Brea Ave. – https://delmarostioneria.wixsite.com/my-site-1 – @delmarostioneria
While Del Mar Ostioneria, which has been located at the mini-mall on the east side of La Brea, between 8th and 9th Streets for the last three months, may look like a food truck, Rick Pérez, who co-owns the business with his brother Roberto, says it’s definitely more restaurant than vehicle. First, said Pérez, it has only this one location, and the brothers have no plans to move it around. Instead, Pérez said, he hopes to soon convert the eatery to bricks and mortar in the same location (the mini-mall is owned by Roberto’s father-in-law, who has been very supportive of the brothers’ venture). And second, the sophisticated fresh seafood menu is definitely not the usual truck or fast-casual fare.
Pérez told the Buzz that the business began when he and Roberto (who also own several other businesses) found experienced professional chef Francisco Leal working as a street vendor selling delicious ceviches from a cooler. Rick said, “I won’t be able to sleep at night if I leave this man on the street.” So the brothers created Del Mar Ostioneria with Leal…and after just three months, it has already gained attention from major media outlets like KCRW and EaterLA, which called the venture “game-changing.”
“Think Nobu meets modern Baja California meets a Culiacán hotspot,” said the Eater story, which also called Del Mar “one of the best new seafood stops in Los Angeles.” The menu includes a wide variety of contemporary Mexican seafood – all prepared to order on site – including tacos (fish, shrimp, octopus, lobster, and more), ceviches, aguachiles, oysters, sashimi, and more.
Hours are Monday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. And yes, there are a couple of small tables available for seating.
Irv’s Burgers
1000 S. La Brea – irvsburgers.com – @irvsburgers
Many neighborhood residents mourned the closing of longtime favorite Top Round at this location last year, but at least a few burger fans later rejoiced when they heard it would soon become the second location of West Hollywood favorite Irv’s Burgers, which finally opened in March.
While the building at the SW corner of the busy Olympic/La Brea intersection has been redecorated, many of the location’s other features remain same as in its last iteration (the self-serve soda machine is even in the same place), but the menu has definitely changed. Irv’s serves classic beef and turkey burgers, as well as hot dogs and sandwiches including BLTs, pastrami, tuna melts, and patty melts. And, of course, there are fries, five kinds of milkshakes, and three kinds of floats, not to mention cookies for dessert.
And while Irv’s, like most of the other new La Brea restaurants, is open until 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, it’s also open much later on Friday and Saturday – until 2 a.m.
